Final Wish
by Valefor
Summary: What could have happened if Vivi stayed at the Black Mage Village at about the end of Disk 2? An on-going fic exploring one of possible fates...
1. Home

_Notes: Yep, I've started working on this again. Chapters have been edited to include some stuff I left out earlier, layout slightly changed, and stuff... Hopefully, this will be done very soon; 3 or so months of thinking can be very refreshing, you know? ^_^;_

_**Spoiler warning:** This fic's timespan extends from about Disk 3 (I think) and all the way past the end of the game, Final Fantasy IX. Events from as early as Disk 1 are included, however, making this fic heavily spoiler-ridden. Read with your own discretion._

* * *

******Final Wish**  
Chapter 1 - Home

The sun didn't look as bright as normal. The usual glaring gold looked more red and the clouds seemed to gather in huge flocks stretching across the sky to hide the sudden period of weariness dimming the star's glow. The birds soared higher up in the sky, as if the added strain on their part would grant them access to the sun's warmth, or at least more so than the creatures that toiled farther down from it.

That was one of the few things Vivi noticed the day after his transference from the company of his closest friends to the care of what could be his family. He didn't notice that he hadn't eaten since the moment the familiar wag of Zidane's tail disappeared into the shadows of the forest, or that he hadn't managed a single hour of solid sleep. Mr. 288 knew of it, and he had tried to help and console the child. "Your heart will understand that your friends aren't abandoning you," he had said. "They'll surely visit whenever they can."

"B-but what if Kuja...?" Vivi didn't dare to voice that concern in whole in fear that somehow, he would jinx his friends.

"Don't you worry, Vivi. The valiant shall triumph over the wicked, as they always have..."

_Then why hasn't Kuja been defeated yet...?_

He sat alone as he had for the past several hours on the walkway built on the roof of the Black Cat Synthesis Shop, staring over the tangled branches of surrounding forest canopy and into the dull blue/gray sky. Things had been much different since Vivi had decided to stay at the Black Mage Village. His will to explore was just as strong as ever but he didn't quite get around to doing any. The fear of leaving his people behind burrowed deep into his mind. So, he spent most of the past twenty-four hours watching the birds fly by, unmoving except for the slow rise and fall of his chest and the drowsy blinks of his eyes.

Vivi didn't move when he heard the thumps of feet nearing him. He didn't need to; the clanking of metal against the sides of the wooden ladder alerted him that is was Mr. 288 for the fifth time that day. Vivi liked Mr. 288, but he wasn't without irritation towards his persistent visits. The wood of the roof-top walkway groaned softly under 288's feet as he clambered up to peer at the back of Vivi's flopped over hat. An uncomfortable silence hung between the two before Mr. 288 cleared his throat and mumbled as he had several times before, in a solid and calm voice.

"You know, we're all getting very worried about you, Vivi." He paused again, then added, "You don't seem very happy about your decision to stay with us." Another silence drew out, lasting quite a few moments. Mr. 288 shook his head slowly.

"You don't need to worry about me," said Vivi. "I'm here because I worry about you all..."

"Do you think it's worth giving up being with your friends and seeing more than any of us could even hope to dream of?"

"... I... I don't know."

The "younger" mage felt a warm hand set on his shoulder. Even though he was just a child, his life span had already been longer than any of the other mages.

"You can't loose sight of what you dream, Vivi..."

An edge formed in his voice as he blurted, "I've dreamed of finding others like me for as long as I can remember. I'm not about to leave that behind."

Just as quickly as Mr. 288's hand planted itself upon Vivi's shoulder, it had retreated back to the former's side. 288 sighed and said in a voice quiet and tinged with sorrow, "I understand the pain you feel. It's not easy to leave your friends just to stay at some little village hidden away somewhere. But it doesn't do anyone any good to dwell on that pain..."

Vivi closed his eyes and tangled with the immediate appearance of a thousand memories, each labeled with the faces of those five. "I know... I can't help it, though..."

The hand returned to his shoulder and the fingers gave a gentle, almost fatherly squeeze. "I know... Come now, you must be starving. Why don't you go get to know some of the others over lunch?"

Vivi's eyes slowly opened and he turned his head to look up at Mr. 288. Eyes glittering with the warmth of a smile hidden against the jet black of his face looked right back. He felt a grin perk at the corners of his lips, however weak, and nodded. "O-okay..."

"Alright. We'll meet you by the Chocobo shack." With that, Mr. 288 turned and disappeared back down the ladder, the squeaks and clanks of his departure growing softer and softer.

He watched the ladder way for a moment before his body registered a mental command to get himself up to go down and eat. His joints moved stiffly beneath his clothing, sending hushed flares of soreness through his limbs. A sharp wince drew across his face at a particularly distinct pain stinging in his rear end. _Ugh... Been sitting too long._ His legs moved in slow, jerking steps while his body readjusted to movement. Eventually, he made his way to the ladder and climbed down, grunting softly with the effort, to meet the villagers still unknown to him.

* * *

_... What am I doing here?_

Monotonous crunching sounded away in his head as he ate, staring blankly at the plate of vegetables sitting before him.

_They don't need me here..._

There was a constant chattering all around him, though he couldn't really hear a single word of it.

_... do they...?_

Laughter blossomed from the five other mages sitting in a circle around the banks of the narrow stream that cut across the eastern end of the village. They were all seated in the lush spring green grass, talking and laughing merrily as if the troubles that threaten to rip each apart from the soul out had been stripped away with the passing breeze. All except for, of course, Vivi, who was silent with his eyes down at his food. The words floating around him lost all comprehension, gained, and lost it all again in an audible blur. 

"Oh... when we.... That wa- ... -oo good..."

More laugher, then another picked up on the unfinished trail of words.

"And... he... hurt..... Why do you th-- ... --unger ones... no.... ever...."

"Why.... think th-- ... come...?"

"... don't..."

There was no more laughter now. Two of the mages had their heads tilted back to watch the sky while the other 3 glanced about between themselves. One, the name of whom Vivi had already forgotten, stood up with his empty plate and nodded politely to everyone else.

"I... back to Cho-- ... born... --ay now."

Friendly words were exchanged before he left, disappearing somewhere by the Chocobo shack. The others promptly went off to their homes, as well, leaving Vivi alone with Mr. 33, who he remembered as being one of the two that tended the Chocobo shack.

"Well... --ink, Vivi?" he asked, placing his hands at his hips.

"Huh?" Vivi shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He was so tired...

"I said, 'what do you think Vivi?'"

"... A-about what?"

The other chuckled and winked knowingly, though his guess of why Vivi hadn't been paying attention may be farther off than he thought. "About helping me and Mr. 111 take care of the Chocobo egg."

Vivi hesitated; surely, they knew about his clumsiness. _... They can trust me with that egg?_ "... umm..."

Mr. 33 nodded his head in an insisting manner, beaming. "It'll give you something to do. Always helps to do something fun when you're sad.

"W-well..."

Mr. 33 went on as if Vivi hadn't said anything. "And when it's born, you can name it and play with it and teach it to do all sorts of things."

The thought of gaining another friend _did_ sound rather tempting, in addition to the purely enthusiastic bounce in the other mage's voice. Vivi considered, then nodded hesitantly.

The already cheerful glitter in 33's eyes doubled in intensity and his stout body hopped once with joy. "I know you'll enjoy it, Vivi!" he cried. "This'll be perfect since you're so nice and concerned and stuff." He gave the sun a brief glance. "Oh, it's almost time to put new hay on the egg. Don't want to get bugs getting on it, now do we?"

Vivi wasn't sure if the question needed an answer so he didn't offer one.

"You go on ahead to the shack. I'll clean up a bit here and meet you there in a minute." Promptly, Mr. 33 snatched the remaining plates from the grass and skipped towards the village cook house leaving Vivi alone with the gentle lapping of water in the stream.

"Well... This might be fun after all," he muttered to himself. So, he started the short walk just a ways down from the stream and around the back side of a tall round hut to find himself staring at the profile of a small wooden Chocobo hanging on the thin wooden door. Light and shadow alternated upon his form from the arms of the windmill spinning high up on the face of the shack.

He pressed his hands against the door and stepped in as the edifice swung open easily, the creaked back into its place within the doorframe. A Black Mage, Mr. 33's close friend, was sitting down beside the makeshift nest that dominated the single room. The mere way the place had been set up could have given one the impression that it was a somber shrine to some feathered deity. Carefully framed sketches and paintings of Chocobos hung about the walls. Wisps of hay lay along the floor in long threads trailing out of an "altar" filled with the stuff. A light gray egg crowned off the small structure, blanketed against mats of golden hay.

"Pretty, isn't it?" asked the mage already present. He was sitting on a small crate beside the egg, watching it as a mother hen would watch her own clutch. "I can't wait to see it hatch."

Vivi nodded, waddling towards the egg and the mage. "When is it supposed to hatch?"

"Any day now, any day now. We've been watching it and keeping it warm ever since we found it." 

Vivi froze halfway across the room. He had seen eggs before, eggs almost exactly like the one sitting silently in his presence. Fed and nurtured by the power of Mist, and forced to hatch and release a mindless puppet into the dark world... The frozen pang of terror sliced into him, eyes widening as he raised a trembling hand to point accusingly at the egg. "H-how do you know what kind of egg it is?"

Mr. 111 turned his head to peer over his shoulder at Vivi. "Well, if you listen hard enough, you can hear it make little Chocobo noises sometimes." He gave the egg a friendly pat, chuckling. "If it was a monster egg, I think it'd be a little bigger."

The door gave a short whine and Mr. 33 stepped inside. Mr. 111 gave him a nod and stood up. The two shuffled around a barrel set against a wall, one lifting the lid and the other taking an armful of hay. The lid was set aside by Mr. 111, who had initially picked it up, and he tenderly set his hand along the lower half of the egg and picked it up. He then looked at Vivi and gestured to the mound of hay that served as its matting. "Can you scoop all that out, Vivi?"

The child nodded and did as he was asked, digging up as much hay as he could hold between his two arms and stood aside for Mr. 33 to lay in a fresh new layer.

"Y'know," Mr. 33 mumbled as he carefully patted the fresh hay into the "nest". "It's a shame that we can't make more of ourselves..."

Mr. 111 gave him a sharp glare and gestured to the little on in their presence with his head, trying hard not to make the gesture noticeable to the one being gestured to. Vivi saw it all the same.

"Well... I'm sure we'll find a way, soon," said 33 quickly, though a voice thick with hesitant doubt. His head bobbed with an awkward nod of reassurement and his face wrinkled with a forced smile.

The egg was put back in place, and the shack was fixed up a bit before the elder two left. The chastising tone in Mr. 111's voice soared weakly, but audibly, inside with Vivi before the door of the shack shut behind them.

Vivi stared cold and hard at the egg. Did the others know where they came from? Isn't there a chance that just beneath the dry gray shell waits the developing body of a brainless Black Mage?

... How would it feel to be killed by a brother?

He could feel the upstarts of tears begin stinging at his eyes. How did those mages that he had personally killed fell, if they felt at all? Did they have to die because they were the slaves of a tyrant?

If the egg turned out to be another Black Mage, Vivi would love and care for him no matter what. _If he can be an individual right when he hatches, then maybe there's hope for us after all... _He sniffled then whispered into the cool silence...

"... I won't let you be a puppet..."

Vivi left right then while eyes yet to be born stared after him, wide and unblinking beneath the flimsy shell that protected them from the world.


	2. Stricken

******Final Wish  
**Chapter 2 - Striken

A few days crept by, and Vivi had begun to readjust to sleeping and eating again. Hours were spent either sleeping or watching after the egg with periods of solemn thought scattered through the day. During those times, he would find himself sitting alone in his own room staring out a window, or by the grave of Mr. 36, or even sitting beside the stream to watch the water flow as it always had. The other mages would leave him alone whenever Vivi had sought out time with himself as per some silent request that registered with his tentative glance. They understood that Vivi rather liked being able to think and wonder of things that they themselves would barely be able to comprehend... 

Vivi was in the middle of one of those thought sessions, the chosen place of which was beside the stream. The sky was clear except for a few fluffs of misty clouds. A regular sparkle danced upon the rolling surface of the water, and the trees leaned in around Vivi to watch their reflections bubble and waver.

It was quieter that usual.

Vivi sat with his legs splayed out before him and his palms pressed against the ground to keep the rest of him up. His light blue coat lay folded neatly beside him, relieving at least part of his face from the reign of shadow. It was a tad warm for his tastes, and he didn't really need to hide from the others. The light colored shirt he wore beneath provided him with enough relief from the climate, and so he was content. 

A sharp outcry from elsewhere in the village caught his attention. From over the rolling hill of the stream's bank he could see a little ways into the village's central square, as it were, and could see at first one, then two, then four, then six Black Mages pointing and staring up at the sky. Many more began to line out of their huts to see what the calamity was about.

Thin ribbons of blue writhed into visibility, entangling itself in a double helix of mystical energy among the sky. Glittering puffs of light sparkled along its writhing length for a moment, then paused into invisibility.

By now, Vivi had gotten up and had rushed over to his fellow Black Mages standing panicked and confused. Mutterings of queries between one another ran thick.

Mr. 288 was among the last to appear and when he did, everyone immediately silenced themselves and looked at him expectantly. They shifted in position from a messy crowd of mages to a neat arc around Mr. 288, spacing each other apart so that the ones behind could look upon their leader without a tall hat blocking their view.

Mages mechanically parted way for the tiny mage as Vivi made his way to the front of the arc, just as curious as the others as to what Mr. 288 had to say of the anomaly in the sky.

Mr. 288 didn't have to make effort to gain the attentive gazes of everyone; from the moment he stepped into the open all mouths were shut and all eyes had fastened on him. His eyes swept over everyone, meeting each gaze with a calm not of acknowledgement, before he cleared his throat and said, perhaps with more simplicity than anyone would have liked, "I think everyone should stay inside for a while."

It had never dawned on anyone to question 288's hunches, so they didn't. Like a disorganized school of fish, they all separated at once, heading to wherever came to mind. A few followed Mr. 239 to the weapon shop, another few went to the Inn, and others still went back to their own huts. Mr. 288 watched silently, taking mental note of the general headings of each before noticing that all but Vivi had left. Before he could say anything, Vivi narrowed his eyes in puzzlement and asked, "Mr. 288, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure, Vivi, but I don't think we should stay out to see." He glanced helplessly at the sky, to the spot where a frozen glitter still remained as if trapped in time. "Strange things like that don't happen every day, and I doubt much good will fool--"

A shriek overpowered his voice and both immediately looked up. From the dense sparkle the twin strands of blue slithered forth, spinning about eachother in a mad frenzy, blurring into a fluctuating sliver of matter taking a white=hot glow. In an instant, a flash of pure white light ripped through the skies and just as quickly melted away, leaving a bright green afterimage burning through Aviv's eyes.

He blinked furiously to try to clear the bright stain from his sight but to little avail; the only glimpse he would have managed came between blinks. A mass of black scale and wing shot across the sky and disappeared behind the lips of canopy. Another shriek quickly roared by to catch up to its owner.

Mr. 288 had his head hanging and was rubbing slowly at his eyes with a single hand. Eyes had filled every single window of the village, staring up and after the dark figure that graced the sky.

Vivi stared after the beast, willing away the afterimage in silence. _... where is that thing going?_

"You say your friends headed back to Conde Petite?" asked Mr. 288, suddenly raising his head just enough to squint at Vivi. "Whatever that was, it's headed straight for them..."

Vivi's breath caught in his throat. _They should have been by Conde Petite yesterday... What if it's going past, too...? _His head snapped in the direction of his hut.

"You won't make it to them in time to warn them," said Mr. 288. His eyes wandered back up to the sky, tracing westward where the flying beast soared. "And something tells me that they already know of it... That summoner friend of yours..."

The thought of Dagger summoning something like that which just passed didn't do much to calm Vivi, but still... _If Dagger called it, then maybe they're just..._

He could do nothing more than wait and hope as the wavering echoes of roars and explosions wandered from beyond the mountains.

* * *

There was a lot of fire floating on the ocean. Terrified screams and vengeful screeches rang clearly in their ears.

A summoning didn't go according to plan. The Sacred Beast Bahamut careened madly through the hazy sky, shooting plumes of Mega Flare at whatever it had deemed worthy of destroying. Royal Alexandrian warships were reduced to nothing more than burning fortresses of wood and steel, and the scent of burning flesh was thick over the muggy mist.

The confrontation with Kuja didn't go exactly as planned. Granted, they managed to meet one of their objectives; the creature primarily responsible for creating the mist had been eliminated and the mist had already seemed to be thinning. But the man they were after had already fled upon his silver Dragon, though with some friction from the crazed Bahamut.

The group clambered precariously down one of the giant twisting vines that draped the Iifa Tree. Steiner had taken the lead, wielding his sword before him as if believing any mist creatures wouldn't dare attack a burly man in rusty armor holding a rather dinky, in Zidane's opinion, sword. Quina wasn't far behind Steiner, and was followed by Eiko, Dagger, Zidane, Amarant, and Freya.

The princess's eyes were pink with tears threatening to spill; she saw the King of Dragons destroy the warship that Queen Brahne, her mother, was on... The party was respectfully silent for a long while and worried glances was frequently exchanged between all.

"We're getting closer to the ground," Steiner rumbled uncomfortably. "We must keep our guard up for any swarms of mist beasts..."

"... I wonder how mist taste," said Quina thoughtfully.

Eiko growled and snapped, "What a great time to be thinking of food, 'ya big dope..." The young summoner's mood had been just as violent and unpredictable as it had been when the group first met her, and the situation didn't make her one bit more cheerful.

Quina didn't bother with a rebuttal; it may have seemed simple minded or even stupid, but it knew when to keep its mouth shut.

Amarant was just staring off at the wreckage; respectfully silent, perhaps, despite the deaths at the hands of stupidity.

"This isn't the best time to get a temper, Eiko," said Zidane in his usual confident tone. "We've still got things to deal with." He heard Eiko grumble something under her breath then silence herself with a deep scowl on her face.

They continued on as such for several long, dwindling minutes as they partly walked, partly climbed their way back to the ground. Bahamut could still be seen swooping over the still floating carcasses of once-proud Alexandrian warships.

Zidane was watching Dagger every step of the way. Her eyes, once a dark sparkling amber, looked glazed and... tired. Everyone looked so tired... He considered trying to put his arm around her, but wondered if she would take it the wrong way; upsetting her now, in her already pained condition, was something he knew he didn't want to do.

From behind a thicket of gnarled vine hanging not too far in front of them appeared the jet black body of Bahamut. Its head, adorned with two long and curved horns protruding from the sides and one curving back from the top of its skull, turned to observe them. It seemed to float perfectly still in the air, its wings only giving the occasional twitch of tense muscle.

The party froze immediately to stare at the mighty Dragon, just as it stared at them...

Zidane could her Eiko whisper, "What do you want?" To his surprise, Bahamut seemed to focus immediately on the child, though he wasn't sure how; the dragon didn't seem to have any eyes to focus with. Eiko registered it as well, for she gasped and pulled back to tumble into Zidane.

Bahamut growled softly, looking to Dagger. Was it... curiosity? The delicate lift in pitch... sorrow?

Tears dropped from Dagger's lashes and trailed slowly down her cheeks... she whispered, sounding so far away... "Why?"

The Sacred Beast had no answer. It grunted, a thick rumbling pop bubbling through its throat. It's wings snapped wide then gave a single powerful downwards thrust to propel itself skywards in a single flap. Bahamut spiraled away to the heavens, its body glowing a pale blue before melting away into the glowing double helix that marked its appearance.

"Well... that was interesting," Freya remarked, hefting her javelin anxiously. "Now that it's gone, I suppose we can focus on that Kuja fiend..."

Steiner looked at Dagger with a familiar look of concern on his brutish face. "Princess.... Are you alright? All this has been such a terrible strain on you..." He narrowed his large eyes and shot a condemning glare at Zidane, who simply ignored it.

The princess didn't respond immediately. Her eyes focused on Steiner and lost him just as quickly, wandering over the horizon and to a plot of beach just south of the Iifa Tree. Wreckage congregated about the shore, darkened about the rim with splotches of soot... and not too far from the charred areas lay a large mass of something grayish... something...

"... m-... Mother...?"

"What? Princess, I-- Princess?!"

Steiner gaped from an expression bred from pure terror and pure amazement as he watched Dagger set off in a dead run down the vine they traveled, apparently forgetting the painfully clear fact that any step taken at a wrong spot would mean her fall from the Tree, and to a grave far beneath the translucent blanket of mist. Without delay, forcing that fact from his own mind, he jolted after the princess as fast as his armor-clad body could be forced to take him.

Against the common sense of the rest of the group, they ran right after him.

"Priiincesss! Waaaiiiittt! Wheeere are youuu gooiinnnggg?" echoed the Pluto Knight's voice, shaky with his bounding trot. "It's daaanggerrrouusss doowwwn heeerrree..."

_What is she doing?_, Zidane asked himself. He could tell where she was heading; the way she wove around from vine to over-crossing vine, keeping her path as direct as possible through the labyrinth of twisted organic matter... to the beach, upon which rests fragments of ships and fragments of beings...

He blinked and narrowed his light blue eyes - was there something moving amid the piles of debris? Just the slight twitch of something, perhaps by will of the breeze or by its own power... 

"Goodness," he heard Freya mumble somewhere behind him. "It's the Queen..."

From father ahead, he heard Steiner gasp with horror. From even further beyond Steiner, the softest of whimpers escaped Dagger's lips.

* * *

Vivi didn't know why, but without warning he felt a sickening pain in the very pit of his stomach. A burning sensation settled in the back of his throat, and for a long while he stood hunched over by the outer edge of the village waiting to vomit. 

* * *

The stench was horrible on the beach. Not only did piles of soggy wood and dead bodies drift onto the coast, but fish, charred by Mega Flares that invaded the waters were crowding upon the darkened sand in long rows. Water drew in, then receded from the land in steady pulses driven strong by heavy tides. Foam spread in thin sheets on the sand, and the death that lay in the earliest stages of decomposition...

But where Queen Brahne lay, it was quiet and devoid of the stains of battle, unless her weakened body and spirit could be a token of strife. She was not nearly the most attractive being of flesh and blood to ever take part of life on Gaia, but there was a subtle appeal in her appearance. Robes gained through royalty clung tight to her bulging body, wet with blood and water...

_... so much blood..._

Steiner stood stiff not too far away from the dying Queen, eyes fixed straight at some point peeking over the horizon. His jaw was set tight, as was his grip on the sword pointed down to the earth.

_... why did this happen?_

Dagger knelt down beside the still breathing mass of her mother. Even the quietest of breath sounded excruciatingly loud; like sandpaper rubbed over sandpaper, and yet so faint. The trails of tears burned bright pink along her cheeks in thin vertical stripes and she suppressed a sob when Brahne's head shifted slightly upon the firm pillow of sand to look up at her daughter with her black-framed eyes.

_... why is she smiling?_

* * *

He stared at the forest floor, at the chaotic assortment of leaves and twigs laying matted from feet stepping over. Light blurred into a kaleidoscope of color, dancing with the greens and browns and oranges and reds of the foliage drifting carelessly about him in his small grove by the village. He tried to breathe... 

* * *

Brahne's blubbery lips puckered into a warm smile. "Garnet... I'm so glad... I could... see you..."

_Why is she smiling?!_

"... I'm sorry for all... of this... Garnet... I didn't know..." A hack erupted in her throat, and she curled up as best she could until the coughs resided.

Dagger noticed how limp Mother had become. There was barely any bounce when Brahne's head fell back upon the sand, rolling about weakly before reclaiming the strength to let her look at her only daughter. "Ohh, I've been so.... foolish..."

"Mother..."

Brahne smiled once more... weakly. "I'm.... sorry.... You're going to be... Queen, now..."

"But..."

"Be good to... our kingdom... Garnet... Love it... like I love... you...."

".... Mother!?"

* * *

He was crying. He was scared. Fear, pain, torture - they were all clear to him now, pummeling into him with an alien ferocity. His body had long since crumpled to a heap on the cluttered forest floor, on his belly with his hands cradling his wet face... Twigs and other such prickly forest matter poked relentlessly at his skin, just as the overwhelming pain and sorrow probed for a grip in his soul.

_... what is this? Why...?_

"Vivi~!"

He wanted to look up and see who was calling him, but his muscles weren't listening. _Why can't I move...?_

"Vivi...? Are you out here?"

_I'm not..._ He managed a pitiful whine, hoping that would be enough... The crunching of leaves and the snapping of twigs beneath someone's feet neared him, then stopped.

"... Vivi? What are you doing out here?"

_... help..._

"... Vivi?"

_... just... help..._

Strong hands encircled his sides and he felt himself being lifted up. His body was flipped over slowly and cradled close to the warmth of... who? Tears blurred his vision, which had already dimmed for a reason unknown to him...

"Vivi? Why are you crying?"

_I don't know... just..._

The mage's voice began to sound frantic. He didn't want him to be scared, and his tears flowed without restraint...

"Vivi?! What's happening?! Don't st--"

He couldn't hear the voice anymore. The sensation of being shaken sprung even more pain into him, about his shoulders and his neck, but he couldn't move. What little he could see was swallowed by darkness, and stillness reigned once more.


	3. Return

******Final Wish**  
Chapter 3 - Return

When he found the strength to open his eyes again, he still couldn't see much. Blurs between familliar golden eyes and black faces, mixed with flares of sunlight and plumes of shadow dominated his field of vision. But he could hear things again.

"Ohh, look! He's waking up! He didn't stop, after all," someone whispered.

"Thank goodness," another sighed.

"Vivi? How are you feeling?" asked yet another.

Vivi felt his mouth opening, but he couldn't speak. The pain that was present before he went under was still there, though it had faded from a racking sting of pain to a numbing soreness.

"That's Ok, Vivi," mumbled the one who had asked the question. "You don't have to talk yet. I think you're still... fixing. Is that it?"

"Fixing, healing.. something like that," assured a random voice.

"Ah."

The weakened mage tried to look around, but found that his eyelids fluttered uncontrollably against the brightness around him. What he saw was enough to tell him at least where he was; his coat lay upon a small table by the door, and atop it was his favorite staff. From the odd angle at which he recognized the items, he realized that he was lying down most probably on his bed. It didn't feel right, however; it seemed much firmer than he remembered it.

"I'll stay here and watch over him," said a voice. "I'll call for all of you if something happens."

Unanimous acknowledgements greeted the one giving the order, and feet shuffled across the wooden floor boards of his hut as the Mages filed out. The door gave a quiet bang as it hit back into the doorframe.

Vivi could focus on the one remaining now, and recognized the warm yet extremely concerned expression on Mr. 288's face. He was standing beside Vivi's bed, bent over slightly with a strong feel of concern and fear. The fingers of his right hand clenched and unclenched ceaselessly on the length of his golden staff.

"Can I get you anything?" Mr. 288 asked. Vivi noted the slight quiver in his voice. "Water, food... anything?"

Vivi coughed, clearing his throat, and managed with a croaking and broken voice, "I-I'm thirsty..." He really was, too. His ordeal had left his throat parched and there was a horrible taste sitting in his mouth.

Mr. 288 nodded and rushed out to fetch the poor child some water. He paused only to prop the hut's door open with his staff.

Vivi sighed and tried moving. His body was pressed snugly beneath blankets, so snugly that he had trouble moving anything but his arms. He sighed and simply gave up; he could ask someone to untuck him so he could stretch a little.

288 had practically run back with a small flask of water in hand, stopping abruptly in the doorway. "Here you go," he said as he walked to Vivi's bedside. Vivi felt the blankets loosening around his body. "Bet you were kinda... stuck, huh? I'm sorry... We were just so scared..."

Vivi scooted himself up, propping his back against the warm fluff of pillow at the head of the bed, noting with suprise that his pains were diminishing rather quickly. He reached out and accepted the flash from Mr. 288, who regarded him curiously.

"Feeling better already?"

"Y-yes... sorta," Vivi mumbled after taking a long sip from the flask.

The tension in Mr. 288's eyes drained, replaced by a clearly evident relief. "Oh, I'm so glad! We were afraid you were--" His words found themselves forcefully caught in his throat and rather than continue that sentance, he offered, "It's good to see you're ok."

_... They thought I was gonna die..._

Vivi watched Mr. 288 quietly and saw the older Mage shift about uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "It's good to see you're gonna be ok," he repeated at a whisper as he found his gaze fixing on a spot right above Vivi's face.

_... is something wrong?_ He blinked. Of course, there was something wrong; everyone was under the impression that he was about to die. Obviously, there was going to be an air of uncertainty and fear dwelling about the village. It had been a while since anyone last stopped. To Vivi's knowledge, the last was Mr. 36 a while after the village was established. Even though Vivi had only been here a few days, it already was apparent that the villagers looked up to him despite his youth. After all, he's been aware for pretty much his whole life and had learned some things about themselves through his travels.

There was a soft choked sound of someone clearing his throat and Vivi's eyes focused back onto Mr. 288. "So, umm... what exactly happened to you?" The quiver was still in his voice, but Vivi didn't blame him; he wasn't the only scared one.

"I... I don't know," the child started. "I just started to get this bad feeling..."

"Bad feeling? Do you know why?"

"N-no..." He added quickly, trying to bring some reassurance to the atmosphere. "But I'm feeling a whole lot better now, Mr. 288, really."

288 was silent for a moment. A cool sigh whisped from his hidden lips and his words followed shortly, "Maybe so, Vivi, but we still don't know what's wrong, if there's anything really wrong at all. I think it would be best for you if you stayed in bed for a while. The feeling might come back and I want to be here to help if it does."

Vivi almost said what immediately popped into his mind: _But I don't want to stay here._ He caught himself quickly, shutting his voice down before anything could escape, and forced his head to bob in acknowledgement. The nod seemed to please Mr. 288 for his grim expression lightened into a vague but discernable grin.

"Now I have some things to go take care of so I'll be back in just a little bit. Try to sleep for a while; you'll feel at least a little better." He didn't wait for a reply. His slightly plumped body rose, turned, and waddled out the door. There was a soft click of metal and wood, and a gloved hand guided the door shut slowly.

Vivi was alone yet again. Seeing nothing better to do, he layed himself back down and forced himself to keep still long enough to creep into the place between waking and slumber.

* * *

The trip back through the mountain path was harder than before, but they made it. Conde Petite loomed farther down the narrow trail.

Steiner was beside Dagger, as usual. Since the tragedy at the Iifa Tree, he had been even more protective of the princess. Eiko and Freya, too, had made their concerns knowns. They all walked in a loose circle around, offering their combined protection from whatever pains and trials they may encounter on their voyages.

Quina noted, with dissapointment, that there weren't any monsters to eat along the way. Perhaps the sudden appearance and assault of Bahamut had sent them all in hiding.

The two dwarven guards that watched the back exit Conde Petite let them pass without hesitation, granted that Zidane had to give them the customary call of, "Rally-ho!" He had no objection; anything to get Dagger somewhere safe.

Amarant had let himself dissapear somewhere in the monolithic come of the Dwarves while Steiner, Eiko, and Freya had opted to take Dagger to the Inn and let her rest for a while. She had objected, claiming that it wasn't neccesssary, but they had dragged her off, anyways. When they returned, minus Stiener who stood guard infront of the room rented for Dagger, they found Zidane alone in the chamber with the boat forever grounded.

"Reminiscing about your marrage?" Freya chortled as she led the group to Zidane.

"Ehhh.. Just thinking, I guess," replied Zidane. "Been thinking a lot lately..." 

Freya chuckled, then sighed. "My, my... Either you're maturing, or you're just taking after Vivi."

Eiko snorted and asked, "Who's Vivi? I keep hearing about him."

"A child not unlike yourself," answered Freya. Her ice blue eyes lowered to regard the summoner. "A boy of much power, perhaps more than he's ready for..."

Zidane hmm'ed thoughtfully, setting a hand against his hips while the other hung by his side. "Maybe we oughta go pay Vivi a visit. I bet Dagger'll like that."

"I wanna meet him, too," insisted Eiko. A lively glitter flowed through her eyes like water under a beaming sun. "I wanna see who this 'lil boy is!"

The Burmecian chuckled some more and gave Eiko a friendly pat on her little head, taking care not to poke herself with the curious horn that protruded from beneath strands of blue hair. "Then I suppose we have a plan. But I believe it would be better to stay a while, for Dagger's sake. And for Steiner, as well; they both have much tension right now..."

"Yeah," Zidane mumbled. "I suppose I could find something to do here while..."

Quina appeared through an arched doorway, and waddled by, mumbling, "Everything so dry... Quina no like much." Just as quickly, it dissapeared down another hallway. getting odd glances from the dwarves that passed it by.

Eiko stared after Quina, and grumbled, "I guess I oughta watch after that thing. Mebbe we'll find something to eat along the way." Her small form took up a jog after the large Qu.

Freya nodded after Eiko, then turned to look at Zidane. "You should get some rest yourself, Zidane. 'Twas a difficult journey.. you look tired."

He shruged, grinning smugly. "Eh, there's enough time for that when I'm old."

Freya paused, then shrugged. "Yes, there is... I'll be seeing you around, then, Zidane." With that, the tall Burmecian turned and wandered outside, tapping the butt end of her javelin along the way.

He suppressed a sigh and a yawn and decided to get a better look around, as well. A nameless melody, oddly familiar, found itself whistling from his lips as he swaggered off towards the Weapons Shop.

* * *

In contrast to the trip to and past Conde Petite, the trip all the way around the central plateu of the continent and into the dying forest was quiet and uneventful. Sure, the occasional Gnome or Zanghol would pass their way, but nothing that an angry knight whipping his sword around couldn't chase off.

"I really wish," Dagger muttered with just a tinge of maternal strength, as if she needed to schold the much older knight as she could any child, "That you wouldn't cause such a ruckus, Steiner."

"But, Princess," the Pluto Knight retorted innocently. "If I do not give show, these beasts will not hesitate to try and attack!"

Zidane piped in at the wrong time yet again, only to irritate Steiner. He found that he liked bugging the older man, despite the fact that Dagger didn't aproove. _Oh, well, she can live with it_, he figured. "That's odd.. I'da figured that they would be attracted to the scent and sight of some loudmoth moron jumping around. Plenty of food for them, yep."

"Zidane," Dagger snapped. Her tone was sharp and stern, and Zidane immediately shut up with a wince. Was she.. angry? "I don't want to hear you two fighting right now." Flicks of rose still stained her cheeks from the pained trails of tears, faded yet painfully clear to Zidane.

The theif paused then snorted quietly at Steiner. "Fine, fine... I'm sorry, Rusty. And I'm sorry for whatever monster that would even think of eating you, with all that nasty armor."

That gained him a glare from the Princess and a harshly muttered word from the knight. He glanced helplessly to the others and was met with condoning stares and smirks. Amarant was grinning in his usual "what-a-dumbass" fashion, crossing his pale arms in idle manner.

Zidane decided to keep quiet for a while. A sigh escaped momentarily parted lips as he stared straight ahead, watching as the crowns of tall brittle trees rose in the horizon.

_--------------------  
Yes, I know this is a short and sorta empty chapter. o_O; Apologies; it'll get better soon enough. *bow* Chapter 4 should be up sometime tomorrow (that being 3-23-2001), so keep an eye out! ^_-  
_


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